The fifth annual Iowa Independent Film Festival returns to the Clear Lake Arts Center (with two screening venues) and The Hub (at the new Zion Church youth center) with 35 highly rated new feature movies, documentaries, short subjects and even a few student productions. This growing art, science, cultural and social event will run from Friday, July 15, to Sunday, July 17. Most screening day hours will be from to 9 p.m. in the three air-conditioned venues.
The festival board of directors, in association with the Clear Lake Arts Center, are offering a free preview screening of two of the event’s most touted documentaries. Fuel is an enthralling look into the gas crisis and how to resolve it. Earthship Haiti (winner of the ‘Best Short Documentary’ award) is an inspiring and up-lifting account of unique new dwellings being built for the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. These outstanding productions will be shown at no cost in the main auditorium on July 12 at 8 p.m. It will be followed by a brief discussion on the hi-lights of the weekend film fest.
In attendance during the run of the festival will be a variety of actors, directors and movie makers from Hollywood and from all over the country, including a documentary crew that plans to attend from Australia. They will be hosted by the festival’s founder Tanna Frederick. Her movie, Virtually Yours, which features tales of on-line dating, will be screened on Friday and Saturday evenings, and will be followed by a question/answer session with Frederick and the movie’s director, Sherilyn Segal, one of Hollywood’s top make-up artists.
This year the festival will also present industry professionals in live open-to-the-public speaking sessions. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, in the Arts Center, Paul Steffenson of the Iowa Motion Picture Association will present a visual walk through the history of special effects in film. Also that day, Tammy and Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall Films in the Quad Cities will talk about making history documentaries in Iowa. This session will follow right after the screening of their much talked about recent production, Country School: One Room – One Nation.
New this year will be a Youth Film Fest, which will involve specially selected productions that will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Arts Center. They will be screened for free for 10 to 18-year olds.
The main social event of the weekend will be the Saturday night awards ceremony, which will include free hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and a live music group. Attendance is free to festival ticket holders.
Tickets are on sale at the Arts Center and at Hy-Vee West in Mason City. They can also be ordered on-line at www.iowaindie.org with the tickets ng beheld at the Arts Center reception table on the day of arrival. A full weekend pass for all 35-plus movies, speaking sessions and social events is $25, with a $10 one-day pass available. The festival’s board of directors would like to remind potential attendees that they can pick and
choose the movies they would like to see, as they move from one venue to the other. The schedule and
film synopses is available at www.iowaindie.org. For more information, contact Gregory or Bonnie Schmidt by sending an email to greg@festint.com or bonnies@netins.net.
Have Your Say
Powered by Facebook Comments